One of the most important types of beers that I need to start developing for Payette Brewing is a "session" beer. Basically, that is a beer that is low in alcohol (~4%) that can be drank for long sessions without getting too drunk. Although I prefer to make and drink "big" or "extreme" beers, there are times when you don't want one of those types of beers, such as tailgating and Saturday nights downtown. Some people would also call these "beginner" craft beers, which may sound like an insult, but a well crafted session beer is a great way to bring the BMC (Bud/Miller/Coors) into the craft brewing market.
I have experimented with some lower alcohol blonde and wheat beers, nothing has quite been the hit that I am looking for. Come this summer I expect to work on my blonde recipe and maybe experiment with some different lagers that could hit the spot for PBC's session beer. There are many other styles that could be session beers including the pale ale recipe that I have been working on for quite some time, heck even Guinness could be considered a session beer. Here is a link if anyone wants a little more information on session beers: http://beeradvocate.com/articles/653 Stay tuned for more updates on the session beer.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Amber Ale
For some reason this is a style that I have seemed to skip over a lot when making beer, not sure why, but I tend to keep towards the pale ales. So today I am making my second batch of an amber ale. My hope for his batch is to have the biscuit/malty taste of an amber, but I am going to include a lot of the hop characteristics of pale's and ipa's with some fruity/citrusy hops.
Although I have been working on a pale ale being the flagship beer, I want to experiment with some of the other more popular styles as possible PBC mainstays. Fat Tire and Mac and Jacks have found their own dominance in the beer market and there could be room for another. No ideas as of yet for possible names, so suggest em if you got em.
UPDATE 12/29: Kegged and force carbonated this beer. Color is a little on the dark side for an amber and the malt profile is a little lacking. The hop schedule used is great, but it might be a bit on the hoppy side for an amber. The beer also is missing some of the malt base to back up the amount of hops used, so a combination of decreasing the hops and increasing the malts should help this beer out quite a bit. Beer about perfect for ABV (5%) so I will have to tweak the recipe accordingly to increase the maltiness without significantly increasing the ABV.
Although I have been working on a pale ale being the flagship beer, I want to experiment with some of the other more popular styles as possible PBC mainstays. Fat Tire and Mac and Jacks have found their own dominance in the beer market and there could be room for another. No ideas as of yet for possible names, so suggest em if you got em.
UPDATE 12/29: Kegged and force carbonated this beer. Color is a little on the dark side for an amber and the malt profile is a little lacking. The hop schedule used is great, but it might be a bit on the hoppy side for an amber. The beer also is missing some of the malt base to back up the amount of hops used, so a combination of decreasing the hops and increasing the malts should help this beer out quite a bit. Beer about perfect for ABV (5%) so I will have to tweak the recipe accordingly to increase the maltiness without significantly increasing the ABV.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Bronco Beer
At some point I would like PBC to cultivate a relationship with Boise State, mostly for Bronco football. Much like the relationship BSU has with the Double R Ranch, PBC needs to be the only beer available in the suites at Bronco Stadium. Pre and Post game festivities can take place at the official PBC Tailgate. Whenever I think of this I go back to the game at Ohio State, the tailgate we went to at the parking lot of that apartment building. Ideally it would be a fenced off beer garden with PBC beer on tap. In the area there would be TV's showing all the games, cornhole, redneck golf and probably a bit of beer pong going on. Basically your ideal tailgate. If there was some sort of partnership with the university then maybe this could be in the campus parking lot, if not, then it could be possible to team up with one of the bars on Broadway to get this going. The reason a deal with the university would preferred is the use of the name "Bronco Beer." They might not have a tight of a grasp on their words as UW does, but it would be great to market Bronco Beer throughout Boise during football and even basketball season. Of course the place to start with all of this is getting a good beer on tap up in the suites, then working the university from there. I think that the tailgate would be an excellent way to get the name out in Boise and could also establish a great tradition at BSU games.
Citra Hops
I got the chance to make a test brew using some of the Citra hop that I mentioned in a previous post. The only requirements were that I used 100% Citra hops, then give a sixer to the Issaquah Brewhouse with my brewing notes. At some point the WAHA brewers who are making the test brews will get together and have a tasting of the brews.
I decided to make an American Wheat for the test. I used the same grain bill as the Hefeweizen drank at the BSU tailgate but a different yeast. Should be very similar to an American Wheat made this summer with a different hop profile. It will be interesting to see how this turns out because most wheat beers do not use hops with this much alpha acid. They also generally aren't made to showcase the hops flavors to the extent that this brew should. I used a minimal amount of bittering hops then tried to pile on the flavor and aroma hops. I am excited to see how this turns out in a few weeks, I am planning on kegging what I don't bottle and bring it for Boise to sample. I have no idea what to expect from this beer, but it should be light in color and body, abv around 4.4% and really good.
*To my knowledge the first commercial beer to be released using these hops will be released from Sierra Nevada in January called Torpedo Extra IPA.
I decided to make an American Wheat for the test. I used the same grain bill as the Hefeweizen drank at the BSU tailgate but a different yeast. Should be very similar to an American Wheat made this summer with a different hop profile. It will be interesting to see how this turns out because most wheat beers do not use hops with this much alpha acid. They also generally aren't made to showcase the hops flavors to the extent that this brew should. I used a minimal amount of bittering hops then tried to pile on the flavor and aroma hops. I am excited to see how this turns out in a few weeks, I am planning on kegging what I don't bottle and bring it for Boise to sample. I have no idea what to expect from this beer, but it should be light in color and body, abv around 4.4% and really good.
*To my knowledge the first commercial beer to be released using these hops will be released from Sierra Nevada in January called Torpedo Extra IPA.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Winter Beer Festival
I have always believed that one goal of Payette Brewing is to be the purveyor of everything beer in Boise and with that comes festivals. While other ones will come out of the woodwork as we move forward, I want to get some recent thoughts about a winter fest down. **Other ideas include a St. Patrick's Day Festival, a Summer Festival and Rocktoberfest (rock and beer, two of my favorite things). I am all for trying to combine these festivals with the IYF as charity events. The most important thing that these festivals provide for the brewery is exposure not income, so making them charity events just adds to the appeal.
In the spirit of the pop can tree, PBC could host a contest for the best post-consumer waste holiday thing. I dont want to restrict it to just Christmas trees because I would give special points to anyone who comes with a Festivus pole, even if it would be the easiest thing to make with empty beer cans. So basically anything winter holiday related made out of post-consumer waste would be accepted. There would also have to be rules mandating the use of some amount of beer products (preferably PBC) and there would have to be proof (pics/video) that those beer products were consumed by the entrants.
This contest could be tied in with a winter beer festival where people could come and enjoy seasonal beers from any breweries willing to come to Boise, local brewpubs included. While enjoying the beers, it would work like the festival of trees where attendees can check out and vote on all of the entries. Winners get a keg or something like that, minor details that can be figured out some other time. To me this would be a fun and unique addition to the standard winter beer festivals that go on all over the place. Doesn't need to compete with the festival of trees, more so another option.
These were just some of my initial thoughts, be sure to add any of you own ideas in the comments.
In the spirit of the pop can tree, PBC could host a contest for the best post-consumer waste holiday thing. I dont want to restrict it to just Christmas trees because I would give special points to anyone who comes with a Festivus pole, even if it would be the easiest thing to make with empty beer cans. So basically anything winter holiday related made out of post-consumer waste would be accepted. There would also have to be rules mandating the use of some amount of beer products (preferably PBC) and there would have to be proof (pics/video) that those beer products were consumed by the entrants.
This contest could be tied in with a winter beer festival where people could come and enjoy seasonal beers from any breweries willing to come to Boise, local brewpubs included. While enjoying the beers, it would work like the festival of trees where attendees can check out and vote on all of the entries. Winners get a keg or something like that, minor details that can be figured out some other time. To me this would be a fun and unique addition to the standard winter beer festivals that go on all over the place. Doesn't need to compete with the festival of trees, more so another option.
These were just some of my initial thoughts, be sure to add any of you own ideas in the comments.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Ralph Olsen - Hop Union
Last night I went out to the Issaquah Brewpub to hear Ralph Olsen, the owner of Hop Union in Yakima, give a talk about everything hops. The brewpub is a part of Rogue and I will add a small review at the bottom of the post. Ralph didn't have a prepared talk, he just took questions and went from there, which was more than enough to fill an hour and a half. I wish I took a notepad to write down some of what he said, but writing the day after from memory will have to do (note to self: notepad for next speaker).
A key topic had to do with the hop shortage which was very interesting to hear from someone very much in the business rather than a reporter. There were a few things that stuck out with this. First was that this is not the first time this has happened, the hop prices are very volatile and have been for the 30 years he has been in the business. There were times in the 80's and 90's where a pound of hops was going for $30 or $60, much like last year, and other times it has been in the single digits. A key to what happened was the abundance of hops in the late 90's and early 2000's that drove prices down, this drove farmers to change crops or sell off the land, thus the total hop acreage was at an all time low. Then sure enough the excess supply ran out with less acreage and some down crop yields and prices climbed. Simple high school economics really. Where the media got things wrong was, zero breweries shut down due to hops and there was never a time that suppliers were out of hops. Another big, not very surprising, point was how the craft market is such a small speck of the hop market, so has little effect on it. The big guns really run the market. On a positive note, Ralph's company deals 98% with craft brewers, so someone to be talking to in the future. I asked a question regarding futures contracts on hops, which by the way scored me a bag of hops, so paying $5 to hear him got me a $7 bag of hops. But currently they sell 75-80% of their hops on futures, which is more of a recent trend if anything. That figure use to be much lower. They sell them up to three years in advance, with a few at five years. With the uncertainty right now, having a contract is necessary. At the same time, with the volatility of the market you don't want to lock yourself in when the market could drop off costing you a lot of money.
Some other notes that might be of interest. There is a new hop called Citra, as the name implies is a citrus hop with a lemon character. First thing that popped in my head was a wheat beer, so we will have to see if and when that hop is available for purchase. They did mention letting some home brewers give it a try, i threw my name in, so we'll see. Another hop, Amarillo (a personal favorite) is a unique hop in that it is the only hop that is owned by a grower. So basically one guy controls all of the Amarillo hops in the world, good position for him with the growing popularity of Amarillo.
There were a ton of more things that were talked about, just nothing else that stuck with me enough to write down. Hopefully if it was useful I will remember sometime.
Quick review of the Issaquah Brewpub: Sort of a neat deal because it is owned by Rogue, but still makes its own beers. So basically, they have a bunch of Rogue beers on tap and bottles for sale and at the same time have their house beers on tap and for sale. They only make their frog beers or whatever on location, no Rogue stuff. Overall it was a decent place, alright atmosphere and had a small town feel. My biggest problem is with Rogue in general, while I like their beers, is that I just find them to be vastly over priced. I dont think all of their bombers command a $6 price tag.
A key topic had to do with the hop shortage which was very interesting to hear from someone very much in the business rather than a reporter. There were a few things that stuck out with this. First was that this is not the first time this has happened, the hop prices are very volatile and have been for the 30 years he has been in the business. There were times in the 80's and 90's where a pound of hops was going for $30 or $60, much like last year, and other times it has been in the single digits. A key to what happened was the abundance of hops in the late 90's and early 2000's that drove prices down, this drove farmers to change crops or sell off the land, thus the total hop acreage was at an all time low. Then sure enough the excess supply ran out with less acreage and some down crop yields and prices climbed. Simple high school economics really. Where the media got things wrong was, zero breweries shut down due to hops and there was never a time that suppliers were out of hops. Another big, not very surprising, point was how the craft market is such a small speck of the hop market, so has little effect on it. The big guns really run the market. On a positive note, Ralph's company deals 98% with craft brewers, so someone to be talking to in the future. I asked a question regarding futures contracts on hops, which by the way scored me a bag of hops, so paying $5 to hear him got me a $7 bag of hops. But currently they sell 75-80% of their hops on futures, which is more of a recent trend if anything. That figure use to be much lower. They sell them up to three years in advance, with a few at five years. With the uncertainty right now, having a contract is necessary. At the same time, with the volatility of the market you don't want to lock yourself in when the market could drop off costing you a lot of money.
Some other notes that might be of interest. There is a new hop called Citra, as the name implies is a citrus hop with a lemon character. First thing that popped in my head was a wheat beer, so we will have to see if and when that hop is available for purchase. They did mention letting some home brewers give it a try, i threw my name in, so we'll see. Another hop, Amarillo (a personal favorite) is a unique hop in that it is the only hop that is owned by a grower. So basically one guy controls all of the Amarillo hops in the world, good position for him with the growing popularity of Amarillo.
There were a ton of more things that were talked about, just nothing else that stuck with me enough to write down. Hopefully if it was useful I will remember sometime.
Quick review of the Issaquah Brewpub: Sort of a neat deal because it is owned by Rogue, but still makes its own beers. So basically, they have a bunch of Rogue beers on tap and bottles for sale and at the same time have their house beers on tap and for sale. They only make their frog beers or whatever on location, no Rogue stuff. Overall it was a decent place, alright atmosphere and had a small town feel. My biggest problem is with Rogue in general, while I like their beers, is that I just find them to be vastly over priced. I dont think all of their bombers command a $6 price tag.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Christmas Beer
Today I am brewing up a more experimental beer than I usually do, although not going that far out on a limb. I am making a spiced Belgian Strong Ale, which in itself isnt that different, I just dont know how the spices will work together. Most Belgians use candy sugar to increase the gravity and add some flavor, in this case I am using candy canes with the hope of giving it a very Christmas flavor. That combined with the cinnamon and orange peels I plan on using in seconday fermentation could prove to be a delicious winter warmer or a total abortion of a beer. We will have to wait and see.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Canning Line
While canning craft beer is not a new thing, it still hasn't taken the industry by storm and might never do that. The stigma against canning beer probably started with the first canned beer because of the aluminum "canny" taste it gave to beers. With new technology, specifically the material lining the interior of the can, a lot of people find that canned beer no longer has that bad taste. The debate still goes on, but I think that there is future in canning beer, weather that is in addition or opposed to bottling. Oskar Blues has made a name for themselves by first making great beers and second their beers are only available in cans. Recently New Belgian has joined the ranks of cans with Fat Tire being canned.
While canning might make some craft beer drinkers shy away from PBC, it might also bring another type of drinker to PBC. I also think that anyone that would choose not to drink a beer because it is in a can is too much of a snob to drink my beer and I wouldn't want to call them my customer. I also think a canned craft beer could help bridge the gap between the macro drinker and a craft drinker. Another huge advantage to cans is the places where you can take and drink cans as oppose to bottles. Tailgating is a prime example; while glass isn't necessarily outlawed, it is not really recommended either. While I wouldn't see myself bringing a six pack of a porter on the river, it would be nice to bring a good pale or blonde on a raft trip (not that easy with glass).
My one reservation with cans has to do with big beers. I know Oskar Blues makes an Imperial Stout (TenFidy, great beer by the way) but I do not know how these beer hold up to aging. There would be no problem with light spoilage, I just don't know how possible it is to "can condition" a beer. Something that will have to be looked into.
I don't know if canning is the route that PBC wants to take, but I think it could be a really successful route. The best would be to have both canning and bottling, as of now don't know what sort of capital that would take, probably a lot. Getting past being looked at as a gimmick would be the most difficult part is PBC goes the canning route. Something to be looking at down the line...
While canning might make some craft beer drinkers shy away from PBC, it might also bring another type of drinker to PBC. I also think that anyone that would choose not to drink a beer because it is in a can is too much of a snob to drink my beer and I wouldn't want to call them my customer. I also think a canned craft beer could help bridge the gap between the macro drinker and a craft drinker. Another huge advantage to cans is the places where you can take and drink cans as oppose to bottles. Tailgating is a prime example; while glass isn't necessarily outlawed, it is not really recommended either. While I wouldn't see myself bringing a six pack of a porter on the river, it would be nice to bring a good pale or blonde on a raft trip (not that easy with glass).
My one reservation with cans has to do with big beers. I know Oskar Blues makes an Imperial Stout (TenFidy, great beer by the way) but I do not know how these beer hold up to aging. There would be no problem with light spoilage, I just don't know how possible it is to "can condition" a beer. Something that will have to be looked into.
I don't know if canning is the route that PBC wants to take, but I think it could be a really successful route. The best would be to have both canning and bottling, as of now don't know what sort of capital that would take, probably a lot. Getting past being looked at as a gimmick would be the most difficult part is PBC goes the canning route. Something to be looking at down the line...
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Naked City Tap House
The Naked City Tap House is the newest beer bar to open in Seattle and soon to be part brewery. My initial impressions after going there in October was a mediocre atmosphere with a killer beer selection. The bar is very new, so I expect the atmosphere to develop itself as time goes on, but it does not strike me as that great. I wouldn't mind going back for some more relaxing beers, but there are other places I prefer to go. The draft beer selection is great, 24 rotating taps that so far seem to switch up pretty frequently so you should be able to try something new every time you go.
There are two things I like about Naked City that I want to touch on (besides the beer selection). First is their use of technology. They have one of the coolest websites that I have ever seen, it takes a different angle on links and pages, how they interact. I recommend checking it out. Like most businesses they have a newsletter, but one of the links is to a Naked City twitter (probably way too advanced for me since a blog is a huge step). The twitter keeps the tech savvy up on what kegs are tapped, when they are tapped, so there is no reason you would miss an opportunity at a rare beer at Naked City. The second interesting thing is their direction into being a brewery as well. They are working on being a small scale brewery in addition to a bar. I am not sure what their ambitions are for the brewery size, but they should have a customer base established as soon as the beers start being released (first one was tapped tonight). As far as growing a brewery, the tap house will provide immediate feedback on any experimental brews and the feedback should be coming from a very knowledgeable customer.
As I check this place out a few more times I should have some more to add to this, especially after trying some of the house beers.
There are two things I like about Naked City that I want to touch on (besides the beer selection). First is their use of technology. They have one of the coolest websites that I have ever seen, it takes a different angle on links and pages, how they interact. I recommend checking it out. Like most businesses they have a newsletter, but one of the links is to a Naked City twitter (probably way too advanced for me since a blog is a huge step). The twitter keeps the tech savvy up on what kegs are tapped, when they are tapped, so there is no reason you would miss an opportunity at a rare beer at Naked City. The second interesting thing is their direction into being a brewery as well. They are working on being a small scale brewery in addition to a bar. I am not sure what their ambitions are for the brewery size, but they should have a customer base established as soon as the beers start being released (first one was tapped tonight). As far as growing a brewery, the tap house will provide immediate feedback on any experimental brews and the feedback should be coming from a very knowledgeable customer.
As I check this place out a few more times I should have some more to add to this, especially after trying some of the house beers.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Laughing Buddha Brewery
The Laughing Buddha Brewery is one of those recent start-ups here in Seattle. The brewery started sometime last fall, but didn't really get up and rolling until this spring. I visited the brewery in May, right after they got some great publicity on the front page of the Seattle Times Business section. From what I can tell, they have been rolling ever since.
They started off with a 15 bbl system and brew 4 different regular beer. They sell their beers to various draft accounts as well as to beer outlets in 22 oz bombers. An interesting thing that is available in the Seattle area is contract bottlers. On the given bottling day, an outside company comes to the brewery with all the necessary bottling equipment and does the bottling for that batch of beer. This would be a great service to have for a start-up, but I doubt the availability of such a service in Boise. This has allowed L.B. to sell their beers directly to consumers and grocery stores without the need for the capital investment in a bottling line. I am sure they plan on having their own bottling at some point, but it sounds like this works out nicely right now.
The two owner operators are former home brewers who left well paying corporate jobs to start LB. from what I have found out, they started with about $100,000 in cash and have built there brewery since. I don't know if they have other small business loans on top of that, because I don't think they could have gotten their equipment with only $100,000.
The niche that Laughing Buddha is going for is the Asian beer market. They use different ingredients that are generally used in Asian cooking. I have sampled three of the four beers and I am impressed with what they do. Their mango-weizen is a very tasty beer.
I could see PBC using a very similar start-up model. I like jumping in with a 15 bbl system off the bat, if there is the money to get that. 15 bbls allows for some good brewhouse efficiency and enough capacity for a lot of beer for the first few years. The bottling with have to be quite different though. A bottling line would be nice from day 1, but that will have to be examined based on the amount of start-up cash and physical size of the initial brewing space.
They started off with a 15 bbl system and brew 4 different regular beer. They sell their beers to various draft accounts as well as to beer outlets in 22 oz bombers. An interesting thing that is available in the Seattle area is contract bottlers. On the given bottling day, an outside company comes to the brewery with all the necessary bottling equipment and does the bottling for that batch of beer. This would be a great service to have for a start-up, but I doubt the availability of such a service in Boise. This has allowed L.B. to sell their beers directly to consumers and grocery stores without the need for the capital investment in a bottling line. I am sure they plan on having their own bottling at some point, but it sounds like this works out nicely right now.
The two owner operators are former home brewers who left well paying corporate jobs to start LB. from what I have found out, they started with about $100,000 in cash and have built there brewery since. I don't know if they have other small business loans on top of that, because I don't think they could have gotten their equipment with only $100,000.
The niche that Laughing Buddha is going for is the Asian beer market. They use different ingredients that are generally used in Asian cooking. I have sampled three of the four beers and I am impressed with what they do. Their mango-weizen is a very tasty beer.
I could see PBC using a very similar start-up model. I like jumping in with a 15 bbl system off the bat, if there is the money to get that. 15 bbls allows for some good brewhouse efficiency and enough capacity for a lot of beer for the first few years. The bottling with have to be quite different though. A bottling line would be nice from day 1, but that will have to be examined based on the amount of start-up cash and physical size of the initial brewing space.
Wheat Beer
Today I am brewing my fourth go at a wheat beer. This iteration I am sticking very close to the recipe I made in July which would fall more into the American Wheat category. That was probably the best session beer that I have made to date. Session beer being one with a lower alcohol content that you can easily drink for a long period of time (session) with out getting too drunk or full. In my mind, session beers make the best tailgating beer, so this one should be ready for the Nov 28th Boise State game...Bronco Beer?
The closest commercial beer I can think of to the first try at my American Wheat is Pyramid's Crystal Wheat (if it was that good that would be sweet, cause that is an award winning beer). I say that because unlike many wheat beers, especially German style ones, this was a very clear beer. You wouldn't know it was a wheat beer by appearance alone. It was light to drink, but still had some of the distinct clove spicy and some citrusy taste. Changes I am making to this version: increased the amount of malts to get a S.G of about 1.048, this will add a little body to the beer and raise the alcohol content from the previous batch. Using a different yeast, didnt want to, but the one I used last time wasn't available. Should have very similar characteristics. The hop schedule is essentially the same, the hop variety has changed a bit do to availablility, but are also good substitutes.
The closest commercial beer I can think of to the first try at my American Wheat is Pyramid's Crystal Wheat (if it was that good that would be sweet, cause that is an award winning beer). I say that because unlike many wheat beers, especially German style ones, this was a very clear beer. You wouldn't know it was a wheat beer by appearance alone. It was light to drink, but still had some of the distinct clove spicy and some citrusy taste. Changes I am making to this version: increased the amount of malts to get a S.G of about 1.048, this will add a little body to the beer and raise the alcohol content from the previous batch. Using a different yeast, didnt want to, but the one I used last time wasn't available. Should have very similar characteristics. The hop schedule is essentially the same, the hop variety has changed a bit do to availablility, but are also good substitutes.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Breweries Popping Up Everywhere
Over the last year or so, I have noticed tons of small breweries popping up throughout Washington and Oregon. The same is true of lot of parts of the country, the craft brewing market is certainly not slowing down at all. The thing that puzzles me is the lack of breweries opening in Idaho and more specifically Boise. I am not mad by any means because there are benefits to being one of the first commercial brewery in Boise (the brewpubs are excluded because their beers are generally not available in other bars and grocers). I guess maybe I am questioning the market in Boise, I certainly think that there is a great market for craft beers, but are other prospective brewery owners seeing something I am not? As of 2000, there were 20 breweries in the state (including brewpubs) which actually puts Idaho #9 in the breweries per capita (1 for every 62,000 people). If Alaska is any proof (1 per every 32,000), there is definitely room for some more in Idaho, especially if they brew some tasty beverages. All of the start-ups that I am seeing around Seattle are serving as good motivation. Six different breweries (that I know of) have started up in the Puget Sound in 2008 (during a big hop shortage too). I will be sure to visit and blog about as many of the Seattle breweries as I can. Not sure where this post is going, but with all of these breweries popping up, I just don't want to be the last one to the party. Just need to remember to take my time, learn as much as possible and do things right from the start.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Southern Tier
In recent weeks, beers from Southern Tier have made their way out to Seattle and I have had the chance to sample two. I don't know why we only got their Imperials, but it is hard to complain about trying some new "big beers"
Pumking - Literally tasted like a pumpkin pie in a glass. Probably more so than any of the other pumpkin beers that I have tried. This one did hit 9%, so I think it was necessary to have that amount of spice and pumpkin taste to balance out the high alcohol. It was also one of those beers that you do need to pay attention to the optimal serving temp, initially when it was too cold, you definitely missed out on some of the flavor.
Hoppe - This was an Imperial Pale Ale that was very basic, but well made. The high alcohol content was evident and the hops were not overwhelming.
My overall impression with Southern Tier was good, although I think they got a little more hype out here than they deserve. I do plan on trying a few more of their beers, but these Imperials are pretty spendy.
The thing with S.T. that stuck out to me was their labeling. I really like what they have done with their labels. I think they do a good job marketing to most types of beer drinkers. The designs are simple and sort of new age. They have a fun description/story associated with the beer and then they also provide the geeked out info like the malts and hops. The labels from S.T. are ones to benchmark against as Payette Brewing Company moves forward.
Pumking - Literally tasted like a pumpkin pie in a glass. Probably more so than any of the other pumpkin beers that I have tried. This one did hit 9%, so I think it was necessary to have that amount of spice and pumpkin taste to balance out the high alcohol. It was also one of those beers that you do need to pay attention to the optimal serving temp, initially when it was too cold, you definitely missed out on some of the flavor.
Hoppe - This was an Imperial Pale Ale that was very basic, but well made. The high alcohol content was evident and the hops were not overwhelming.
My overall impression with Southern Tier was good, although I think they got a little more hype out here than they deserve. I do plan on trying a few more of their beers, but these Imperials are pretty spendy.
The thing with S.T. that stuck out to me was their labeling. I really like what they have done with their labels. I think they do a good job marketing to most types of beer drinkers. The designs are simple and sort of new age. They have a fun description/story associated with the beer and then they also provide the geeked out info like the malts and hops. The labels from S.T. are ones to benchmark against as Payette Brewing Company moves forward.
Here Goes...
I am not sure where to start with this...I guess the idea behind this blog is to capture the ideas behind Payette Brewing Company from the current dream state through the start up and beyond. I have some ideas where this will go, but who really knows. In the end, this will be the probably collection of what I have dubbed: incoherent bullshit...
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